PREVIEW Los Angeles City Section Cross Country Championships

The girls team at Granada Hills Charter, pictured this season at the Mt. SAC Invitational, are looking to defend their Division 1 title at the Los Angeles City Section Finals.

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Individual qualifying

In D-1, up to five individuals placing among the top 12 who aren't on one of the two qualifying teams earn an at-large spot into the State Meet. For the other divisions, up to five athletes not on the one qualifying team who place among the top eight advance to State. 

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BOYS

Division 1

Palisades junior Max Fields (pictured) is the defending champion and the favorite to repeat. He went 15:22.50 on the Pierce College layout to win last year's title, and is coming off a 15:51.20 at last weekend's LAC Prelims on the same course, the only sub-16 performance at that meet. 

Fields led a 1-6 perfect 15-point effort for Palisades in the first of the two D-1 preliminary heats. Palisades is the defending division champion, putting up 29 points at the 2021 final. Three freshmen scored last week, Andrew Razo (16:05.30), Zachary Cohen (16:05.40) placed second and third, respectively, and Blake Sigworth (16:14.20), was fifth behind sophomore Owen Lewicky (16:06.80). 

Granada Hills Charter senior Sean Taylor ran the meet's second-fastest time, 16:02.60, to win the second heat, leading a 16-point effort. Juniors Alexander Mendoza (16:07.90) and Alec Flores (16:09.50), placed behind Taylor, senior Reece Robles was fourth, and freshman Joaquin Ortea Tomaselli was sixth. El Camino Real senior Isaac Torres placed fifth to prevent a perfect heat score by GHC. 

Division 2

Venice sophomore Paul Tranquilla, placed fifth last year, and is the top returner from that race. He is coming of a 16:03.70 effort to win the second of two preliminary heats. Marshall senior Juan Zamora won the other heat in 16:09.50. 

Seniors Adam Lewis (16:22.60) and Evangel Hightower-Rojas (16:54.50) placed second and third, respectively, to lead Eagle Rock in the heat won by Zamora. Monroe, the defending division champion, was second in that heat behind senior Gerardo Herrera, and sophomores Jorge Montenegro and Sebastian Perez, who all placed among the top nine in the heat.

Tranquilla led a young Venice team to the only sub-17 team average in the division, with freshmen London Webster and Alexander Du placing third and eighth, respectively, and senior Thaddeus Stefanski-Hall crossing in ninth. Senior Fabrizzio Romero led Bravo Medical Magnet, which was just one point behind Venice. 

Other Divisions

Senior Francisco Rodriguez of Franklin (pictured above) is the defending champion in Division 3. He ran 15:48.10 at the 2021 final. Earlier this fall, he beat Palisades junior standout Max Fields at the Bellarmine-Sacred Heart meet at Griffith Park. Verdugo Hills won the D-3 team title last season.

Rancho Dominguez Prep junior Alan Sotelo is the defending champion in D-4 now competing in D-5. He ran 17:53.50 in last year's final. He cruised to an 18:21.70 at prelims. Sotelo edged Animo Ralph Bunche junior Kevin Flores (17:59.20) at last year's final.  East Valley is the defending team champion in D-4.

In D-5, New West Charter senior William Bujake, runner-up here last year, rolled over the Pierce College course in 16:13.00 to win his prelim heat by nearly 82 seconds over Central City Value senior Juan Morales. Sun Valley Magnet senior Michael Pineda was third in that heat, running 17:52.20. University Prep Value freshman Bryan Monzon won the other heat in 18:05.60.